shailer



(No Model.)

G. W. SHAILEBJ. APPARATUS POR EAR MARKING SHEEP.

. Patented Mar. 13, 1894.

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UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE.

eEoRoEw. Sl-IAILER, OF PALMERsToN NORTH, NEW ZEALAND, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO JOHN HERBERT HANKINS, or SAME'PLAOE. v

APPARATUS FOR-EAR-MARKING SHEEP.

SPEGIFICA'IIONfbrming part of Letters Patent No. 516,228, dated March 13, 1894. Application filed .April 22,1893. Serial No. 471,511; (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE WILLIAM SHAILER, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Palmerston North, in the provincial district of Wellington, in the Colony of New Zealand, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus .for Ear-Marking Sheep and for other Similar Purposes,of which the following is a specification. Y

The objects of myinvention are to provide a ready means of attaching labels ortickets to the ears of sheep and other animals, also to articles requiring to be labeled, whereby the said labels or tickets are very easily and securely attached, can be marked with a num:

ber or record which cannot be readily re moved or altered; and in the case ofani'mals the operation of clipping the ears or branding which often entails cruelty is obviated. I perform these objects by 'apparatus'illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawingsin which Figure I is a perspective View of the whole of my apparatus when opened for use. Fig. II is a perspective view of the same when closed.

Fig. III is a section taken through the line A' B in Fig. I. Fig. IV is a perspective view of Fig. V is a similar viewthe ticket or label. showing the ticket or label fastened in position, and Fig. VI is a section taken through the line 0, D, in Fig. 1.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in all the figures. e

(a) and (b) are the'sides of a pair of pliers or tongs (hereinafter called the pliers) having a pivot (17') on which they. oscillate,

and a spring (1) to hold them in position for use (see Fig. I). The side (a) of the pliers terminates at its working end in a jaw orseat (a) which is fitted with grooves (er for a purpose to be hereinafter described, and above the jaw (01/) is fitted a spring plate (a riveted or fastened on in such a manner that it has a slight tendency to spring upward and apart from the plate(a') at its outeredge. The side (1)) of the pliers terminates in a jaw or'plate (b shaped so'as to nearly coincide in form to the label or ticket to be used, anda pin (01 and steadied by a plate 1 The guides (b and bars (b are fitted with a rib ticket (flbein g pushed too'far in, and forms a 55 (b )-see Fig. III-etc prevent thev label or,

guide for the same when in position for fixing.

(b )'is a spring to hold the pliers apart and (e) is a clip having a socket (e moving on a pin (6) so as to clip over the projection (e3) and within the recesses (at) to hold the appa ratus together when not in use- (c) is a projection for stoadying the hand;

; (f) is the ticket or label, which can be made in any-convenient form or size and can be marked, numbered or punctured in any distinctive manner. These labels are preferably made of thin sheetsteel but can be made of any suitable metal, alloy or material. They are provided with projections (f which are pointed attheir ends (f and contracted at the bends, not only for ease in bending but to allow the punctures made in the ears to fit loosely round the narrow part and to hold more firmly when the ear has healed.

The mode of operating in labeling an ani- Inal is as followsz-The ticket or label (f) is placed under the plate or jaw (b and against the rib (6 with the projections f pointlng downward and steadied by the guides (b The ear of the animal is then placed between the two jaws which are then'closed until the guides (b rest on the lower jaw (61/) and the projections (f) enter the ear of the animal, then bythe further descent of the jaw holding the label the projections f) are pressed through the ear into the grooves (a and in so doing are curved inward and turned round under the ear'to be labeled as shown by dottedlines in Figs. V and VI. By this operation the spring plate (0. is depressed and rests on the top'of the curve of projections (f)-see Fig. VIbut so soon as the label has been secured and the pliers are freed the spring plate (at .rising frees the ear withits label which can then be easily drawn from' between the jaws and the operation is completed, the label being fixed without compressing the ear too severely and the projections (f') curled round so as to prevent the ends from catching obstructions with which they may come in contact.

I have herein described the method of marking the ears of animals but it will be evident that articles such as parcels, bales or fabrics may be labeled in a like manner with suitable labels and modification of the jaws of the apparatus. Also instead of curving the points of the labels they may be simply returned under the object to make the label fast. Moreover my apparatus may be modified by a skillful workman without departing from the principle of my invention.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and ence of two witnesses.

G. W. SHAILER. Witnesses:

W. E. HUGHES, HENRY HUGHES. 

